Earlier this week, Microsoft CVP and Deputy General Counsel Rima Alaily released a letter on behalf of Microsoft calling on the Inspector General of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate if the agency had improperly leaked confidential information about an antitrust investigation of Microsoft. Alaily calls out the integrity of the FTC and notes that Microsoft cannot obtain information from the FTC about an antitrust investigation of the company, even though Bloomberg News has reported that such an investigation has been launched.
ICYMI: Right before Thanksgiving, Microsoft released a new paper, “Unlocking the Economic Potential of the U.S. Generative AI Ecosystem,” that underscores the need for policies that support AI innovation and skilling. You can also find a summary of the paper in this blog.
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This Week in Washington
- The Verge: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) believes that AI can accelerate the process of connecting new energy projects to the power grid. $30 million in funding is now available through the DOE’s Artificial Intelligence for Interconnection program to help foster partnerships between grid operators and software and energy developers.
- The Hill: The AI Act of 2024 is a new bipartisan supported bill that would commission studies on the use of AI in the banking and housing sector. Under the bill, studies would investigate how banks use AI in loan underwriting, debt collection, and mortgage insurance, and how the technology is used by property managers and real estate agents.
- Nextgov: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) issued two new updates to publications on gauging the efficacy of organizations’ cybersecurity protocols. The new guidance is split into two volumes: Volume 1 focuses on technical issues in information security measurement and assessment and Volume 2 focuses on bringing leadership into the qualitative findings from Volume 1 to create results.
- Reuters: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump selected Gail Slater to lead the Department of Justice’s antitrust division. Slater will take charge of a full docket of monopoly cases against companies, including Google and Apple, and is expected to continue the department’s crackdown on Big Tech.
Article Summary
- CyberScoop: According to research from iVerify, a mobile device security firm, high-powered spyware might be more prevalent on victims’ phones than commonly believed. Pegasus spyware infections were found in seven devices among the 2,500 users who volunteered to participate in its investigation. The victims included journalists, activists, and business leaders who were not overtly involved in politics.
- StateScoop: The Indiana Office of Technology is now offering cybersecurity assessments to water and wastewater treatment facilities. The offer is available through the office’s CyberTrack program, which connects local government agencies with cybersecurity experts at Purdue University and Indiana University.
- Texas Tribune: Late last month, Texas won final approval to use billions in federal funding from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program to help connect every corner of the state. However, two days after federal regulators approved the state’s spending plan, Senator Ted Cruz suggested that the money may be delayed due to the presidential transition.
- StateScoop: To bolster Maryland’s cybersecurity talent pipeline, the state awarded $1.8 million to the training center BCR Cyber and the Maryland Association of Community Colleges. The funding will allow all 16 community colleges in the state to offer cybersecurity training through testing and research that simulate real-world networks and cyberattacks.
Featured Podcast
- BBC – Tech Life
Before people can begin to understand the environmental impacts that AI may create, it is important to understand why AI uses so much energy in the first place. AI’s energy use is impacted by a variety of things such as what language model is being used, and the geographic location of the data center. Hear more on the intersection of AI and the environment from Sasha Luccioni, AI research and climate lead at Hugging Face and one of TIME’s 100 most influential people in AI in 2024. (“How green is AI?” – December 3, 2024)